1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to diapers and incontinence garments, and more particularly to such devices which are readily disposable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable diapers and incontinence garments, sometimes called adult diapers, have proven to be very convenient for the person taking care of the baby or incontinent person by eliminating any necessity for cleaning and washing the diapers in the manner hitherto necessary. As plastics and paper products have been improved in strength, absorbency and economy, more and more mothers and health care workers have begun to use composite diapers and incontinence garments made from layers of paperlike hydrophilic material bonded to a sheet plastic backing. In use, these diapers and undergarments are removed from the body of the wearer when they become wet or soiled and are forthwith consigned to the garbage can.
Unfortunately, disposal of such garbage, and other garbage containing plastics, has become an enormous problem. The plastic materials do not break down but remain in their original condition for many years, making it impossible for the garbage to be converted to usable soil by biological processes.
Attempts are being made to alleviate this problem by using plastics which are "biodegradable", that is, which can be broken down into their constituent elements by the action of microbes, sunlight and air. However, to date no truly biodegradable plastic material is known Even those plastics which are advertised as being biodegradable actually break down into a powder which itself is a growth impediment to biodegradability of the garbage.
Strong attempts are being made to overcome the problem of plastics in the garbage by requiring separation of all items made of plastic from the remainder of the garbage. This plastic is "recycled" by being reprocessed into a plastic material from which various items such as, for example, molded outdoor tables and chairs can be made.
Existing disposable diapers and incontinence garments or shields cannot be recycled successfully because of the large amounts of cellulose, plastic and other materials present therein.
Attempts have been made to mount a disposable moisture-absorbing insert pad in a shallow recess in a specially formed pants body made of plastic or rubber sheeting, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,772 issued Mar. 19, 1963 to H.C. Brooks et al. The disposable absorbent pad can easily be removed after use, but it is prone to shift around within the pants during use, and the structure required by the Brooks et al. patent is too expensive and bulky to be disposable.
Another attempt to provide a removable absorbent pad is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,124 issued Aug. 14, 1962 to O. Thompson wherein the absorbent pad is secured by snap fasteners to a plastic outer pant which does not cover the entire hip area and which is secured in place on the wearer's body by four pairs of tie strings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,601 issued Mar. 18, 1986 to Lucille M. Brain describes a complicated special diaper holder of vinyl material designed for holding cloth diapers. This patent states that a rectangular disposable pad with adhesive strips on the back could be substituted for the cloth diaper
Other approaches to the problem of providing a disposable liner for diapers or incontinence garments are found in the following patents:
______________________________________ Patent No. Issue Date Inventor ______________________________________ 3,050,063 08/21/62 M. E. Margraf 3,077,193 02/12/63 B. J. Mann 3,162,196 12/22/64 G. Salk 4,051,854 10/04/77 G. L. Aaron 4,244,368 01/13/81 P. W. Caradonna ______________________________________
The above-listed patents are believed to be relevant to the present invention because they were adduced by a prior art search made by an independent searcher, and a copy of each of the above-listed patents is supplied to the Patent and Trademark Office herewith.